On January 16, 1970:Traded against his will, outfielder Curt Flood files suit in federal court in New York to knock out the player reserve clause in major league baseball. In charging baseball with violation of the antitrust laws, Flood asks the court to award him triple damages on his $1 million suit. It names as defendants Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, the presidents of the National and American Leagues, and all 24 teams. The reserve clause restricts a player to one team indefinitely. Flood’s lawyer, former Supreme Court Justice and U.N. Ambassador Arthur Goldberg, charges that the system “subjects all players to peonage and involuntary servitude in violation of the 13th Amendment.” Flood had played the last 12 years with the St. Louis Cardinals before he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in October. Flood will lose his battle, but the players will win the war. His action will lead to the end of the reserve clause and the birth of free agency.
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